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New allegations of sexual harassment surfaced today against Clearwater State Senator Jack Latvala. Seven women, six of them an unanimously, have claimed the veteran legislator has touched them or said something inappropriate. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, The Senator has also temporarily stepped down from his powerful role as Senate budget chair.

State Senator Jack Latvala had told us in a text he would not be talking with reporters before an afternoon committee meeting. He was true to his word.

“Could you at least talk to us about your statement” we asked when he entered a committee room.

“Nah. I’ve said everything I need to say” He responded.

Hours earlier, Latavala sent a letter asking to be relieved of his budget chairmanship temporarily. He wanted to focus on clearing his name.

“It’s disgusting if anybody does that” Governor Rick Scott told reporters in Ft. Myers.

Monday morning, Governor Rick Scott didn’t mention Latvala by name. But he did call for a thorough investigation.

“It’s very important that there is an investigation that we know what happened. If anybody has done anything wrong, they need be out of office” says Scott.

State Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto has been charged with finding someone to investigate after the Senate General Counsel, who worked closely with Latvala as committee staff, recused herself.

“There will be a third party, independent, very fair and impartial firm, that doesn’t have any business before the legislature, selected to make sure they can investigate those claims” says Rules Chair Benaquisto.

Finding someone to investigate with no ties to the Legislature  will likely require someone from out of state.

They may have a lot to investigate. 75 year old Barbara DeVane told us she no longer gets hit on, but was harassed back in the 1970’s.

“I was approached by a Representative, and I told him in no uncertain terms that I do not lobby horizontally” she said emphatically.

The Senate is promising new training and guidelines to make it easier for victims to come forward.

Florida is the only state in the country that requires a group to revise its constitution every 20 years, so as  Mike Vasilinda tells us, it’s not surprising how few know about the Constitution Revision Commission, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention.

Five point four million people have moved to Florida since the last time the Constitutional revision commission met in 1997. A survey by the Florida Bar shows 8 in 10 Floridians have never heard of it. One of them is retired postal worker Willie Mitchell.

“I have not got the slightest clue, what you talk a CRC?” Mitchell told us when we stopped him on the street. Rick Pararo also didn’t know what CRC stood for.

Q”Do you know what it is?”

“No sir, I don’t.

“Constitution Revision Commission”.

What make the commission so power and one of a kind is that any changes it proposes go directly to the 2018 Ballot.

So far, the 37 member commission made up of political insiders has filed 80 ideas for consideration. They range from automatically restoring felons rights to weakening the privacy amendment which gives added protections to a woman’s right to choose.

During the previous two times the CRC put proposals on the ballot, the results were mixed.”

In 1978, 8 Proposals from the commission all went down in flames. Twenty years later, Voters approved 8 of 9 amendments.

“We don’t know what this revision commission will put forward, something that’s significant or not.”

Sandy D’alemberte has been involved with the revision process since it was first created in 1968.

“We ought to pay attention, because they potential for good and evil is really quite great” says the President Emeritus of Florida State University.

Under new CRC rules, 22 of the 37 members must agree to send a proposal to voters.

The commission’s 37 members are appointed by the Governor, legislative leaders, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida. As Attorney General Pam Bondi is an automatic member of the Commission.

Last December, Capitol Correspondent Mike Vasilinda asked the Governor a question which resulted in a hearing before the State Supreme Court this morning. As Mike tells us, the issue is over who will appoint the next  three justices of  the state’s highest court.

Florida has seven Supreme Court Justices. Three are set to retire on what will be the Governor’s last day in office.

When Governor Rick Scott filled a vacancy on the Court last December, we asked whether he planned to try and fill those three vacancies.

“I’ll appoint there more justices the morning I finish my term” Scott told us on December 15, 2016.

Here ye, Here ye, Here ye.

A Wednesday hearing at the Florida Supreme Court is a direct result of the Governor’s answer. The League of Women Voters filed a motion, asking the court to tell the Governor the three appointments are the next Governor’s…not Rick Scotts to make. John Mills is also representing Common Cause and several individual board members.

“They either expire at the very last second that Governor Scott is still in power, or a day later.”

The court was clearly unhappy with the role of deciding who is going to make the next appointments. Justice Charles Canady and others questioned whether there was a need for them to make any decision at all.

“This is all speculative. It’s not…I’m having a hard time seeing how this is a ripe controversy” opined a slightly frustrated Canady.

In a rare twist, the Governor’s lawyer admitted the power to replace the three retiring judges would fall to the next Governor as long as none of the current judges leave early and the Governor elect files the proper paperwork. Justice Alan lawson posed this question to Daniel Nordby.

“I think your argument is that there are circumstances under which the Governor would not have the authority to appoint the replacements, correct?”

“Yes, ,Your honor.” Nordby did say the Governor retains his power to appoint up until the final second he is in office, and that should the right circumstances fall into place, Scott would indeed make one or more appointments to the court.

Two decades ago, Lawton Chiles and Governor Jeb Bush avoided the same crisis when the two both agreed to appoint a single judge.

And how it all plays out may well depend on which party the Governor-elect represents

At stake is a constitutional crisis. If Rick Scott makes three appointments that are challenged, it could leave the court with just four sitting justices. The Constitution requires five to make any decision.